Wednesday, December 30, 2009

I didn't do year-end rewards in 2008 b/c I was busy getting married. But I did them in 2005, 2006 & 2007 and I'll do them right now in 2009.Favorite TV Show2005 Winner: Lost2006 Winner: Seinfeld Re-runs2007 Winner: The Office2009 Winner... Colbert ReportIt hasn't been a good year for TV. Shows in contention for the prize were American Idol, The Office and Farscape (re-runs I watched for the first time). But Colbert Report has been the most consistently funny!

Favorite Artist2005: Caedmon's Call2006: Iron & Wine2007: Weird Al2009... Buffalo ChipsThis is a local university A Cappella group that I really enjoy. Katie got me all of their past CD's and I listened to them a lot.

Favorite GameI played a lot of SIMCITY4 in the 2nd half of 2009 and it was enjoyable enough to edge some Wii games like bowling, tetris, etc.

Favorite WebsiteIn a new category, I award my favorite website of the year to REMAX.com. Not that it functions perfectly, but I really do enjoy looking for houses. Maybe we will even buy one in 2010.

Most Influential Person2005: Steve Gregg2006: Steve Gregg2007: Steve Gregg2009... Katie RoseIt's hard not to be heavily influenced by someone you spend every day with! I'll let her decide if it's been a good or bad influence :)

Thursday, December 24, 2009

Monday, December 14, 2009

The other night at the Sounds of Christmas concert my Kindergarten teacher was in attendance. Afterward she found me and we got to chat for a bit. A few memories came to mind (napping on a blue blanket, throwing up all over the place, losing a matchbox car under the heating unit).

That night (Saturday) I set my alarm to wake up for Lockport Wesleyan's service (for which I am the preacher). But when the alarm sounded, I turned it off thinking I would just rest for a few more minutes. Half an hour later I was having a dream about Kindergarten and the song we used to sing to start each day: "Good morning, good morning, good morning to you! Good morning, good morning, and how do you do?" The song kept replaying over and over, and getting louder and louder until I eventually woke up.

It was 7:37, leaving me just enough time to get ready and get to church on time (albeit in a hurry). I think it is neat that God (in my opinion) used my meeting with my Kindergarten teacher to get me out of bed in time to preach.

Friday, December 04, 2009

Tiger Woods has been in the news a lot lately b/c of his car crash (it was obvious from the get go that there was a bigger story behind that) and his recent confession of transgression (though he was vague, it seems clear that he's referring to marital unfaithfulness). This post is not about bashing Tiger Woods, but about the response of his fellow-golfers, the media, and the companies that have invested in him.

Tiger wants to keep things private and pretty much everyone is willing to oblige (except that they insisting on publicly saying, over and over, that it is private). Most are speaking as if a hurricane knocked over Tiger's house ("He's strong an he'll get through this). Almost all the companies that invested in him as a spokesman are willing to keep him as the face of their company.

Everyone except fellow-golfer Jesper Parnevik. He has more at stake here since he partially played the role of match-maker:

"I would be especially sad about it since I'm kind of -- I really feel sorry for Elin -- since me and my wife were at fault for hooking her up with him. We probably thought he was a better guy than he is. I would probably need to apologize to her and hope she uses a driver next time instead of the 3-iron."

"It's a private thing of course, but when you are the guy he is, the world's best athlete, you should think more before you do stuff ... And maybe not just do it, like Nike says."

I think Parnevik's statements take the issue as seriously as it should be taken. Woods is a public figure. He chose a public life, not just in that he chose to be a PGA golfer but also because he signed multiple contracts to be the face of big companies. As Tiger once said:

“I think it's an honor to be a role model to one person or maybe more than that. If you are given a chance to be a role model, I think you should always take it because you can influence a person's life in a positive light, and that's what I want to do. That's what it's all about.”

Tiger considered himself a role model. I think the companies are wrong to keep him on as their spokesman. But I also think, in light of their reluctance, Tiger should volunteer. He saw himself as a role model and he's obviously not a good one. He's been a liar and a cheater.